AN/AR: Just so no-one gets completely thrown for a loop - I moved up the HP-verse timeline and moved back the Charmed-verse. Charmed is more technology-ware, but I don't feel comfortable writing five years in the furute, so I settled on a happy medium. Angelica was born July 31, 1990, not 1980. Chris was born on November 16, 1989, not November 16, 2004. Just so you know. - Merc.
Prue always knew that angering the Elders would - eventually, some day in the far and distant future - bit her in the ass someday.
But why did that distant someday have to be now?
She looked around her office, all the furniture dissembled and boxes piled up - boxes marked 'clothes,' 'books,' and 'stuff.' Okay, she got that they were separated from the wizarding world for a reason, though she doubted it was the given reason. 'To keep wizards from harming us,' her foot. More likely to keep witches in line and following the Elder's rules.
But maybe she was pessimistic. And probably right.
They didn't have to reassign Angelica to another Whitelighter, though. 'You have until the end of the summer,' the Elders said. 'After that, you'll have a different charge, and Angelica will have a new Whitelighter.'
Bastards.
Prue still didn't know how to break it to the kid. Angelica was . . . She was the daughter Prue never had. The daughter she and Andy might have had together. How could she tell the poor kid that she was leaving, walking out on her? What would Angelica think? That Prue was abandoning her?
Prue wasn't stupid. She knew that Angelica was angry at her parents for leaving her behind, 'dying in a car crash.' Them being murdered instead hadn't changed that.
She didn't want that anger directed at her.
Wait. Prue paused, then straightened, dropping her book onto the floor. The Elders only said she wouldn't be Angelica's charge anymore.
That didn't mean she had to leave.
A grin growing wide on her face, Prue began unpacking. So she wouldn't be able to sense Angelica anymore. She wouldn't be able to help her at school. But she could help her when she came back to Little Whinging, just like if she were still alive. And she might even be able to get around the not being able to sense her bit, if what she remembered from the Book of Shadows was right . . .
"Gotcha," she whispered, smirking up at the ceiling.
Six hours later, and exhausted witch had put everything back in order and was tiredly thumbing through her Book. She supposed that she probably shouldn't have gone back to the Manor as soon as her sisters and Leo were gone after getting her wings to copy the family Book, but hey, it helped her out. The Elders hadn't said anything, thought she admitted they almost certainly knew, and she wasn't going to bring it up. 'Better to ask forgiveness than permission,' Grams had always said.
Unless you were Phoebe and got caught sneaking out again. Then you pretty much needed to beg for mercy.
That had always been fun to watch as a kid.
Ah, there it was. One page on how to create a mind link, and another right across from it saying how to break one.
"Mind link," she read under her breath, shifting in her armchair to get more comfortable. "Harmess your mental energy by reciting this spell within a circle of candles." She paused a moment, and read over the spell silently - Phoebe waking up their powers had taught her the lesson early on not to read anything that rhymed out loud.
'Life to Life
and Mind to Mind
Our Spirits now
will entwine
'We meld our souls
and journey to
the One whose thoughts
We wish we knew.'
Wordy, but workable. She may want to modify it, though . . . She really didn't want to end up stuck in a teenage girl's head. Once as herself had been enough. But this was a good framework. Prue copied the spell and counter spell down in a blank notebook - teacher discounts always were nice - and set the Book aside. Time for bed. And pasta. Fettuccine sounded delicious, and she had some in the pantry.
Prue was still going over how best to word the spell to get the result she wanted - she was contemplating using poppets, but was worried what would happen if she messed up - when the doorbell rang. Angie. She was the only persont hat ever used the bell.
"Door's open," she called, putting the notebook away.
In a moment Angelica came into sight as she passed the bathroom. The kid looked dead on her feet, but happier than Prue generally saw her. Her pigtails were half undone.
"Hey, kiddo," she smiled, motioning the girl closer. "How'd it go?" Angelica sat down on the coffee table, and Prue set to re-braiding her hair while she listened to the girl talk.
"Great! I'm going to Hogwarts, Prue! Professor McGonagall said it's my choice, Aunt Petunia couldn't stop me. Ooh, and did you know that wizards can learn to be shape shifters? Well, not proper shape shifters, but they can learn to turn into an animal and back. Just the one animal. The Professor called it being an Animagus, she said if I'm good at Transfiguration I'll be able to learn to do it!
"I got loads of books, too, I have to bring them over - there's some stuff in them I've never even thought of, and did you know unicorns were real? Live unicorns! The bank is run by goblins, too! They're just like you said, kinda snarly. Claspaxe was nice, though: he made the cart go faster when I asked. It was fun! I don't think McGonagall will ever enjoy going to an amusement park, though. She looked ill. And my parents had a vault of gold coins, Prue! I didn't know they'd even left me anything! I got my wand, too - holly and phoenix feather. I'm kinda worried about it, though . . . "
Prue gripped Angelica's shoulder's comfortingly and turned the girl to face her. "Why's that?"
Angelica chewed her lip hesitantly. "The wand-maker, Mister Ollivander, said that the Phoenix that gave the feather for my wand only gave one other, the one in Voldemort's wand. He said they're brother wands."
Prue nodded in comprehension. "You're worried about the sympathetic link between them affecting you."
"Uh-huh," Angelica said, eyes wide. She suddenly gripped Prue in a tight hug. Surprised, the woman slowly wrapped her arms around the girl.
"I don't want to be like him," Angelica confessed fearfully. "I don't want to be like the man that killed my parents."
Prue stroked her hair, rocking the child gently. "Hey, it'll be alright, Ang, I promise. I won't let that happen to you."
Angelica pulled back. "How?" she croaked.
Prue smiled to reassure the girl. "It's an idea I've been having since I went to Hogwarts. It's in Scotland, and I'm here, right?"
"Right . . . "
"I still want to watch out for you. I found a spell in my Book of Shadows, and I'm re-wording it to make sure I get the outcome I want . . . If you agree."
Angelica scrunched her eyebrows together. "What is it?"
"A mind link," Prue said bluntly. "So I can keep an eye on you and astral project in if you're in trouble."
Angelica nodded. "I don't . . . I wouldn't mind that." She smiled faintly. "It's be like you were my guardian angel."
Prue smiled. "Yeah," she said softly, reaching to hug the girl again. "Just like that."
August 30, 2001
"Are you sure you want to do this, kiddo?" Prue asked, watching her charge's face carefully.
Angelica's lips thinned, and she nodded stubbornly. "Are you sure?" she fired back. Prue smiled.
"Sure, kid. Grab the candles."
Angelica nodded and grabbed the pillar candles from the desk while Prue rolled up the area rug so they could set up the circle on the wooden floor, where wax was easier to clean up. Six candles - turquoise, white, pink, turquoise, white, pink.
"Okay," Prue said, "let's get going."
Angelica nodded again and sat down in the circle, trying not to put too much weight on her ankles - last time they were on pins and needles for an hour. Taught her not to fall asleep when sitting on your knees.
Or maybe she should just not fall asleep when she was meditating. That was probably a good idea, too.
Prue sat across from her and began lighting her three candles. Angelica did the same. When they finished, Prue held out her hands, both flat and facing upward. Angelica gave her mentor a small smile and placed her own palms over them.
"Life to Life," they began,
"and Mind to Mind.
Our Spirits now
will entwine.
"We link our minds,
the other's thought to hear.
That both may know
when Danger's near."
There was a light warm feeling on her temples, and Angelica opened her eyes - she hadn't realised she'd closed them - to see a pulse of white light surrounding her and Prue's hands. She caught the other witch's eye, and Prue smiled at her. A moment later, the candles were out, and they were cleaning up.
"I don't feel any different," Angelica said. She was curious, wouldn't she notice the link? Did this mean it hadn't worked - No. She shoved that thought away. Doubt was the biggest spell ruin-er. She wouldn't think like that. If it was meant to work it would. Maybe it just needed a little time.
"Ouch!"
Angelica turned around to see Prue shaking her hand - her finger was bloody, "Prue?"
The older witch turned to her. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Stupid athame, I should have out it away, not left it out . . . "
"Why'd you leave it out, then?" Angelica asked. Prue looked at her oddly.
"Leave what out?"
Now it was Angelica's turn to be confused. "Your athame. You just said you should have put it away beforehand."
"No," Prue said slowly, "I didn't."
"Oh." Angelica blinked. Then she grinned. "It worked!"
Prue blinked back, and smiled. "Yeah," she said. "I guess it did . . . "
AN/AR: WHOO-HOO! Second chapter today, for the second day in a row! *does the cabbage patch dance* :D
- Merc.
